News

The Friendlies’ Director of Clinical Services and Patient Safety, Sandy Blake, will travel across Australia and New Zealand in March to promote empathetic care for patients living with obesity. Sandy will join UK-based bariatric patient advocate Tracey Carr to raise awareness about shifting the dial from discrimination to empathy. Sandy has held senior nursing and patient safety positions in both Australia and New Zealand, and she’s recognised internationally for her work in adverse event management and falls prevention. Tracey isMore

A former recipient of a prestigious nursing scholarship at The Friendlies is encouraging eligible students to apply. Applications for the $5000 MPB Scholarship are now open and theatre nurse Valentina Costa says it’s well worthwhile. Valentina was the 2021 recipient while studying nursing at CQU Bundaberg after completing placements at The Friendlies. “It was very beneficial to receive the scholarship,” Valentina said. “It helped to pay for a lot of my expenses like books and exams that I had toMore

The Friendlies Hospital has welcomed Dr Peter Darcy (pictured) as a new specialist to provide orthopaedic surgery. Dr Darcy qualified initially as a doctor from University College London and has more than 20 years’ experience in his specialist practice. He is currently the program lead and academic supervisor in orthopaedics for the Rural Clinical School of the University of Queensland. He also serves as a general director on the state committee of the Australian Orthopaedic Association and has been theMore

The Friendlies’ senior Physiotherapist Mitchell Shorten is leading a “Pain Revolution” in Bundaberg and the Wide Bay region. Mitch (pictured) is part of the Pain Revolution movement which aims to change how people understand pain, especially in rural and regional communities across Australia. As part of the program, Mitchell is completing a Professional Certificate in Pain Sciences at the University of South Australia (UniSA). Mitch is believed to be the first physio in the area to be training as aMore